A MAN has set several cars - and himself - on fire by lighting a smoke while allegedly trying to steal fuel in Millicent, police say. WATCH THE VIDEO

Lia Harris

The AdvertiserDecember 9, 20136:04pm

Having a smoke near petrol is not a good idea.Source:Supplied

A MAN has accidentally set several cars on fire by lighting a smoke while allegedly trying to steal fuel in Millicent overnight, police say.

Police were called to Mount Gambier Rd about 11.10pm after reports of a fire in a car yard.

Police searched the area and found a man with burns on his legs.

He had allegedly been trying to siphon fuel from one of the cars when he lit a cigarette, causing the fuel to ignite.

CFS crews were also called to the scene to battle the blaze and managed to stop it from spreading to nearby buildings.

The damage bill is estimated at $100,000.

Car yard owner Angus McDonald said things could have been much worse.

"We were just so lucky," he told Channel Ten Eyewitness News.

"He was trying to get the fuel out of the car by punching a hole in the tank - that's when the explosion happened."

"There's be about $110,000 worth of cars that have been lost and there's a bit of damage to the walls. We were very lucky the workshop didn't catch on fire because there's cars just over the other side of the wall."

The 26-year-old Millicent man was arrested and charged with arson and illegal interference with a motor vehicle.